U.S. patent application number 11/388555 was filed with the patent office on 2006-10-19 for methods and apparatus to detect an operating state of a display based on visible light.
Invention is credited to Christen V. Nielsen.
Application Number | 20060232575 11/388555 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37108060 |
Filed Date | 2006-10-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060232575 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nielsen; Christen V. |
October 19, 2006 |
Methods and apparatus to detect an operating state of a display
based on visible light
Abstract
Methods and apparatus to detect operating states of a display
based on visible light are disclosed. An example device to detect
an operating state of a display includes at least one optical
sensor and a logic circuit. The at least one optical sensor is
disposed to detect visible light emanating from a screen of the
display and to convert the visible light into an electrical signal.
The logic circuit is coupled to the at least one optical sensor to
generate an output signal indicative of the operating state of the
display based on the electrical signal.
Inventors: |
Nielsen; Christen V.; (Palm
Harbor, FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HANLEY, FLIGHT & ZIMMERMAN, LLC
20 N. WACKER DRIVE
SUITE 4220
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Family ID: |
37108060 |
Appl. No.: |
11/388555 |
Filed: |
March 24, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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PCT/US03/30370 |
Sep 25, 2003 |
|
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11388555 |
Mar 24, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
345/207 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09G 2360/145 20130101;
H04H 60/32 20130101; G09G 3/20 20130101; G09G 5/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
345/207 |
International
Class: |
G09G 5/00 20060101
G09G005/00 |
Claims
1. A device to detect an operating state of a display, the device
comprising: at least one optical sensor disposed to detect visible
light emanating from a screen of the display and to convert the
visible light into an electrical signal; and a logic circuit
coupled to the at least one optical sensor, the logic circuit being
configured to generate an output signal indicative of the operating
state of the display based on the electrical signal.
2. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the display is one of
a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD),
and a plasma display.
3. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one
optical sensor comprises at least one of a photodetector.
4. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one
optical sensor is disposed adjacent an edge of the screen.
5. The device as defined in claim 1 further comprising a processor
coupled to the logic circuit, the processor being configured to
associate a time stamp with the output signal from the logic
circuit and to provide operating information associated with the
display to a data collection facility.
6. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the operating state of
the display comprises at least one of an on state and an off
state.
7. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the device is
integrated into a set top box (STB).
8. The device as defined in claim 1 further comprising a
transparent waveguide coupled to the optical sensor, the
transparent waveguide being configured to relay visible light
emanating from the screen of the display to the optical sensor.
9. A system to detect an operating state of a display comprising: a
display having a screen, the screen configured to emanate visible
light; and a display monitoring device disposed to detect visible
light emanating from the screen, to convert the visible light into
an electrical signal, and to generate an output signal indicative
of the operating state of the display based on the electrical
signal.
10. A system as defined in claim 9, wherein the display is one of a
cathode ray tube (CRT) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and
a plasma display.
11. A system as defined in claim 9, wherein the display monitoring
device comprises at least one optical sensor disposed to detect
visible light emanating from the screen and to convert the visible
light into an electrical signal.
12. A system as defined in claim 9, wherein the display monitoring
device comprises at least one optical sensor disposed adjacent an
edge of the screen.
13. A system as defined in claim 9, wherein the display monitoring
device comprises a logic circuit configured to generate an output
signal indicative of the operating state of the display based on
the electrical signal.
14. A system as defined in claim 13 further comprising a processor
coupled to the logic circuit, the processor being configured to
associate a time stamp with the output signal from the logic
circuit and to provide operating information associated with the
display to a data collection facility.
15. A system as defined in claim 9, wherein the operating state of
the display comprises at least one of an on state and an off
state.
16. A system as defined in claim 9, wherein the display monitoring
device is integrated into a set top box (STB).
17. A method to detect an operating state of a display comprising:
monitoring for visible light emanated from a screen of the display;
converting the visible light from the screen to an electrical
signal; and generating an output signal indicative of the operating
state of the display based on the electrical signal.
18. A method as defined in claim 17, wherein the display is one of
a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD),
and a plasma display.
19. A method as defined in claim 17, wherein monitoring for visible
light emanated from the screen of the display comprises disposing
at least one optical sensor adjacent an edge of the screen to
detect the visible light emanating from the screen.
20. A method as defined in claim 17, wherein generating the output
signal indicative of the operating state of the display comprises
generating an output signal indicative of at least one of an on
state and an off state of the display.
21. A method as defined in claim 17 further comprising associating
a time stamp with the output signal.
22. A method as defined in claim 17 further comprising providing
operating information associated with the display to a data
collection facility.
23. A machine readable medium storing instructions, which when
executed, cause a machine to: monitor for visible light emanated
from a screen of the display; convert the visible light from the
screen to an electrical signal; and generate an output signal
indicative of the operating state of the display based on the
electrical signal.
24. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 23, wherein the
instructions cause the machine to monitor for visible light
emanated from the screen of the display by monitoring for visible
light emanated from a screen of one of a cathode ray tube (CRT)
display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and a plasma display.
25. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 23, wherein the
instructions cause the machine to generate the output signal
indicative of the operating state of the display based on the
electrical signal by generating an output signal indicative of at
least one of an on state and an off state of the display.
26. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 23 further
comprising instructions, which when executed, cause a machine to
associate a time stamp with the output signal.
27. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 23 further
comprising instructions, which when executed, cause a machine to
provide operating information associated with the display to a data
collection facility.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This patent arises from a continuation of PCT Application
Ser. No. PCT/US2003/030370, filed Sep. 23, 2003, which is
incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to audience
measurement, and more particularly, to methods and apparatus to
detect an operating state of a display based on visible light.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Determining the size and demographics of a television
viewing audience helps television program producers improve their
television programming and determine a price to be charged for
advertising that is broadcasted during such programming. In
addition, accurate television viewing demographics allows
advertisers to target audiences of a desired size and/or audiences
comprises of members having a set of common, desired
characteristics (e.g., income level, lifestyles, interests,
etc.).
[0004] In order to collect these demographics, an audience
measurement company may enlist a number of television viewers to
cooperate in an audience measurement study for a predefined length
of time. The viewing habits of these enlisted viewers, as well as
demographic data about these enlisted viewers, are collected using
automated and/or manual collection methods. The collected data is
subsequently used to generate a variety of informational statistics
related to television viewing audiences including, for example,
audience sizes, audience demographics, audience preferences, the
total number of hours of television viewing per household and/or
per region, etc.
[0005] monitored. For example, homes that receive cable television
signals and/or satellite television signals typically include a set
top box (STB) to receive television signals from a cable and/or
satellite television provider. Television systems configured in
this manner are typically monitored using hardware, firmware,
and/or software to interface with the STB to extract or to generate
signal information therefrom. Such hardware, firmware, and/or
software may be adapted to perform a variety of monitoring tasks
including, for example, detecting the channel tuning status of a
tuning device disposed in the STB, extracting program
identification codes embedded in television signals received at the
STB, generating signatures characteristic of television signals
received at the STB, etc. However, many television systems that
include an STB are configured such that the STB may be powered
independent of the television set. As a result, the STB may be
turned on (i.e., powered up) and continue to supply television
signals to the television set even when the television set is
turned off. Thus, monitoring of television systems having
independently powered devices typically involves an additional
device or method to determine the operational status of the
television set to ensure that the collected data reflects
information about television signals that were merely supplied to
the television set, which may or may not be turned on. Although
there are a variety of techniques to determine the operational
status of the television set, many of these techniques are invasive
to the television set and increases unnecessary risk in damaging
the television set during installation of the circuitry to
determine the operational status. Further some of these techniques
involve monitoring the consumption of power by the television set.
Unfortunately, the consumption of power by the television set does
not necessarily indicate that the television screen is operational.
Other techniques to determine the operational status of the
television set are complex and tend to be costly to implement.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a block diagram representation of an example
broadcast system.
[0007] FIG. 2 is a block diagram representation of an example
display monitoring system.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram representation of a portion of
the example display monitoring system of FIG. 2.
[0009] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram representation of the example
display monitoring system of FIG. 3 entered an on state.
[0010] FIG. 5 is another schematic diagram representation of the
example display monitoring system of FIG. 3 entered an on
state.
[0011] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram representation to detect an
operating state of a display based on visible light.
[0012] FIG. 7 is a block diagram representation of an example
processor system configured to detect an operating state of a
display based on visible light.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Although the following discloses example systems including,
among other components, software executed on hardware, it should be
noted that such systems are merely illustrative and should not be
considered as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that any or
all of the disclosed hardware and software components could be
embodied exclusively in dedicated hardware, exclusively in
software, exclusively in firmware or in some combination of
hardware, firmware, and/or software.
[0014] In addition, while the following disclosure discusses
example television systems, it should be understood that the
disclosed system is readily applicable to many other media systems.
Accordingly, while the following describes example systems and
processes, persons of ordinary skill in the art will readily
appreciate that the disclosed examples are not the only way to
implement such systems.
[0015] In the example of FIG. 1, an example broadcast system 100
including a service provider 110, a television 120, a remote
control device 125, and a set top box (STB) 130 is metered using an
audience measurement system. The components of the system 100 may
be coupled in any well known manner. In the illustrated example,
the television 120 (e.g., a cathode ray tube (CRT) television, a
liquid crystal display (LCD) television, a plasma television, etc.)
is positioned in a viewing area 150 located within a house occupied
by one or more people, referred to as household members 160. The
viewing area 150 includes the area in which the television 120 is
located and from which the television 120 may be viewed by one or
more household members 160 located in the viewing area 150. In the
illustrated example, a metering device 135 is configured to monitor
the STB 130 and to collect viewing data to determine the viewing
habits of the household members 160. The television 120 and the STB
130 may be powered independently such that the STB 130 may be
configured to remain turned on at all times while the television
120 may be turned on or off depending on whether one or more of the
household members 160 decides to watch television. Accordingly, the
broadcast system 100 may also include a display monitoring device
140 configured to detect an operating state of the television 120
(i.e., on or off) and to generate data indicative of the operating
state. The generated data of the operating state may then be used,
for example, to supplement the data collected by the metering
device 135 and/or to control the collection of data by the metering
device 135. For example, television operating state data may be
used to determine whether data collected by the metering device 135
corresponds to television signals that were not only supplied to
the television 120 but to television signals that were actually
displayed by the television 120. In another example, the television
operating state data generated by the display monitoring device 140
may be used to control the operation of the metering device 135. In
particular, the display monitoring device 140 may generate a
control signal that causes the metering device 135 to begin
collecting metering data in response to detecting that the
television 120 is turned on. The display monitoring device 140 may
also generate a control signal that causes the metering device 135
to stop collecting metering data in response to detecting that the
television 120 is turned off. Thus, the display monitoring device
140 optimizes the amount of data collected by the metering device
135, which in turn, allows for a reduction in the amount of memory
required to store metering data. Such reduction in memory may be
substantial especially for systems that employ metering devices
configured to generate data intensive signatures characterizing the
television content.
[0016] The display monitoring device 140 may also be configured to
determine the total number of hours of television watched by the
household members 160. As described in detail below, the display
monitoring device 140 may generate time stamps corresponding to the
times at which the television 120 is turned on (i.e., begins to
display content) and/or the times at which the television 120 is
turned off (i.e., stops displaying content). Alternatively, the
display monitoring device 140 may be configured to provide the
television operating state data to the metering device 135, which
in turn, generates time stamps associated with the data so that the
total number of hours of television watched may be calculated
therefrom. Further, the display monitoring device 140 may provide
the television operating state data to the central data collection
facility 180 either directly or via the metering device 135. If the
display monitoring device 140 directly provides the television
operating state data to the data collection facility 180 then the
display monitoring device 140 may include a communication device
(one shown as 280 in FIG. 2) such as a wired or wireless telephone
communication circuit, a cable modem, etc. The data collection
facility 180 is configured to process and/or store data received
from the display monitoring device 140 and/or the metering device
to produce television viewing information.
[0017] The service provider 110 may be implemented by any service
provider such as, for example, a cable television service provider
112, a radio frequency (RF) television service provider 114, and/or
a satellite television service provider 116. The television 120
receives a plurality of television signals transmitted via a
plurality of channels by the service provider 110 and may be
adapted to process and display television signals provided in any
format such as a National Television Standards Committee (NTSC)
television signal format, a high definition television (HDTV)
signal format, an Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC)
television signal format, a phase alteration line (PAL) television
signal format, a digital video broadcasting (DVB) television signal
format, an Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB)
television signal format, etc.
[0018] The user-operated remote control device 125 allows a user to
cause the television 120 to tune to and receive signals transmitted
on a desired channel, and to cause the television 120 to process
and present the programming content contained in the signals
transmitted on the desired channel. The processing performed by the
television 120 may include, for example, extracting a video and/or
an audio component delivered via the received signal, causing the
video component to be displayed on a screen/display associated with
the television 120, and causing the audio component to be emitted
by speakers associated with the television 120. The programming
content contained in the television signal may include, for
example, a television program, a movie, an advertisement, a video
game, and/or a preview of other programming content that is
currently offered or will be offered in the future by the service
provider 110.
[0019] While the components shown in FIG. 1 are depicted as
separate structures within the television system 100, the functions
performed by some of these structures may be integrated within a
single unit or may be implemented using two or more separate
components. For example, although the television 120, the STB 130,
and the metering device 135 are depicted as separate structures,
persons of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that
the television 120, the STB 130, and/or the metering device 135 may
be integrated into a single unit. In another example, the STB 130,
the metering device 135, and/or the display monitoring device 140
may also be integrated into a single unit. In fact, the television
120, the STB 130, the metering device 135, and the display
monitoring device 140 may be integrated into a single unit as
well.
[0020] In the example of FIG. 2, the illustrated display monitoring
system 200 includes a display 210 (e.g., a television, a monitor,
and/or other media output device) and a display monitoring device
230. The display 210 may be implemented by any desired type of
display such as a liquid crystal (LCD), a plasma display, and a
cathode ray tube (CRT) display. The display 210 includes a screen
220 that projects images by emitting light energy when power is
applied to the display 210 (i.e., the display 210 is turned on).
The screen 220 is turned off (i.e., blank) when no power is applied
to the display 210 or when the display 210 enters a standby state,
a sleep state, and/or a power save state (i.e., power is applied to
the display 210 but the screen 220 is blank).
[0021] The display monitoring device 230 is optically coupled to
the screen 220 of the display 210. In particular, the display
monitoring device 230 includes an optical sensor 240, and a logic
circuit 250. As described in detail below, the optical sensor 240
is disposed relative to the screen 220 of the display 210 to detect
visible light emanating from the screen and to convert the visible
light into an electrical signal. For example, the optical sensor
240 may be a photodetector (e.g., phototransistors, photoresistors,
photocapacitors, photovoltaics such as solar cells, and/or a
photodiode) and/or any suitable light-sensitive semiconductor
junction device configured to convert light energy emitted by the
screen 220 into an electrical signal. Alternatively, the optical
sensor 240 may be implemented by using a camera or a transparent
waveguide to relay the light energy from the screen 220 to the
optical sensor 240. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will
readily appreciate that the visible light captured by the optical
sensor 240 may be analyzed by signal processing and/or pattern
matching to determine information associated with the captured
visible light such as raw light intensity (i.e., luminance) and/or
color (i.e., chrominance). The electrical signal may be used to
generate information to determine an operating state of the display
210 as described in detail below.
[0022] The electrical signal is provided to the logic circuit 250,
which in turn, generates an output signal indicative of an
operating state of the display 210 based on the electrical signal.
In particular, the output signal indicates either an on state or an
off state of the display 210. For example, the logic circuit 250
may generate a HIGH signal (i.e., a logic "1") to indicate that the
display 210 is turned on (i.e., light energy to project images on
the screen 220 is detected). In contrast, the logic circuit 250 may
generate a LOW signal (i.e., a logic "0") to indicate that the
display 210 is turned off (i.e., no light energy to project images
on the screen 220 is detected).
[0023] A processor 260 may use the output signal indicative of the
operating state of the display 210 to track when and how long the
display 210 is turned on or off. For example, the processor 260 may
generate a time stamp corresponding to the time when the processor
260 receives a HIGH signal as the output signal. The processor 260
may generate another time stamp when the processor 260 receives a
LOW signal as the output signal. The processor 260 is operatively
coupled to a memory 270 to store the on/off information. The memory
270 may be implemented by any type of memory such as a volatile
memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), a nonvolatile memory
(e.g., flash memory) or other mass storage device (e.g., a floppy
disk, a CD, and a DVD). Based on the time stamps corresponding to
the output signals from the logic circuit 250, the processor 260
may automatically provide operating information (e.g., when the
display 210 was turned on or off) to the data collection facility
180 via a communication device 280 (e.g., a wired or wireless
telephone communication circuit, a cable modem, etc.). As noted
above, the data collection facility 180 is configured to produce
television viewing data. For example, the data collection facility
180 may use the on/off information to determine a total number of
hours that the household members 160 watch television.
[0024] While the components shown in FIG. 2 are depicted as
separate structures within the display monitoring system 200, the
functions performed by some of these structures may be integrated
within a single unit or may be implemented using two or more
separate components. For example, although the display monitoring
device 230 and the processor 260 are depicted as separate
structures, persons of ordinary skill in the art will readily
appreciate that the display monitoring device 230 and the processor
260 may be integrated into a single unit. Further, the processor
260 may be configured to generate the output signal indicative of
the operating state of the display 220 based on the electrical
signal from the signal processing circuit 244 (i.e., the processor
260 may replace the logic circuit 250). The memory 270 may also be
integrated into the display monitoring device 240.
[0025] As noted above, the optical sensor 240 is disposed relative
to the screen 220 of the display 210 to detect visible light
emanating from the screen 220 and to convert the visible light into
an electrical signal. In the display monitoring system 300
illustrated in FIG. 3, an optical sensor 340 is disposed adjacent
to an edge 322 of a screen 320. That is, the optical sensor 340
extends from the edge 322 to detect visible light emanating from
the screen 320. To improve accuracy of the display monitoring
device 230, one or more optical sensors (generally shown as 341,
342, 343, 344, 345, 346, and 347) may be disposed adjacent to the
other edges (generally shown as 324, 326, and 328) of the screen
320. Thus, visible light emanating from any portion of the screen
320 may be monitored.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 4, for example, the display 310 may be
operating in a picture-in-picture (PIP) mode (i.e., a smaller
screen 420 within the main screen 320). Persons of ordinary skill
in the art will readily recognize that the main screen 320 may
display programming content or other content via one video signal
and/or source (e.g., a football game) while the PIP screen 420 may
display programming content or other content provided via another
video signal and/or source (e.g., same football game or another
football game). In the illustrated example, the PIP screen 420 may
emanate visible light to project images provided via a video signal
whereas the main screen 320 may be blank. That is, the main screen
320 is not receiving a video signal to be displayed and therefore,
is not emanating visible light. Even though optical sensors 340,
341, 342, 343, and/or 347 may not detect visible light because the
main screen 320 is blank, optical sensors 344, 345, and/or 346 may
detect visible light emanating from the PIP screen 420 that is then
converted into an electrical signal. In another example shown in
FIG. 5, optical sensors 343, 344, 345, 346, and/or 347 may not
detect visible light whereas optical sensors 340, 341, and/or 342
may detect visible light emanating from the PIP screen 520 that is
then converted into an electrical signal. Accordingly, the display
monitoring device 230 is capable of detecting that the display 310
is turned on even if only a portion of the entire screen (i.e., the
PIP screens 420, 520) is displaying programming content or other
content.
[0027] An example method which may be executed to detect an
operating state of a display based on visible light is illustrated
in FIG. 6. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate
that the method can be implemented in many different ways. Further,
although a particular order of actions is illustrated in FIG. 6,
persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that these
actions can be performed in other temporal sequences. The flow
chart 600 is merely provided as an example of one way to use the
display monitoring device 230 to detect an operating state of the
display 210 based on visible light.
[0028] In the example of FIG. 6, the display monitoring device 230
monitors for the presence of light energy emanating from the screen
220 of the display 210 (block 610). In particular, the optical
sensor 240 is disposed relative to the screen 220 to detect visible
light emanating from the screen 220. For example, the optical
sensor 240 is disposed adjacent to an edge of the screen 220. In
response to detecting visible light emanating from the screen 220,
the optical sensor 240 converts light energy from the screen 220 to
an electrical signal (block 620). Based on the electrical signal
the display monitoring device 230 generates an output signal
indicative of an operating state of the display (block 630). In
particular, the output signal is indicative of whether the display
210 is in an on state or an off state. For example, the logic
circuit 250 may generate a HIGH signal (i.e., a logic "1") to
indicate that the display 210 is turned on. Alternatively, the
logic circuit 250 may generate a LOW signal (i.e., a logic "0") to
indicate that the display 210 is turned off or in standby state
and/or a power save state when the screen 220 is blank.
[0029] Whenever there is a change in the state of the output signal
from the logic circuit 250, the processor 260 may generate a time
stamp (block 640). For example, when the processor 260 first
detects a HIGH signal from the logic circuit 250, the processor 260
generates a time stamp and stores data indicating that the display
210 entered an on state at the time indicated by the time stamp.
When the processor 260 detects a LOW signal from the logic circuit
250, it generates a time stamp and stores data indicating that the
display 210 entered an off state at the time indicated by the time
stamp. This operating information (e.g., when the display 210 was
turned on or off) may be provided to the data collection facility
180 and/or provided to the metering device 135 that subsequently
transmits the operating information to the data collection facility
180. The operating information may be used to produce television
audience statistics. As noted above, the operating information may
be used to determine a number of hours of that the household
members 160 watch television. Further, as noted above, the
operating information may also be used to reduce and/or to filter
out data that is collected by the metering device 135. The data
collection facility 180 may also use the operating information to
separate the viewing data corresponding to programming content that
were actually displayed from the viewing data corresponding to
programming content that were merely provided to the television 120
when the television 120 was turned off.
[0030] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an example processor system 700
adapted to implement the methods and apparatus disclosed herein.
The processor system 700 may be a desktop computer, a laptop
computer, a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA),
a server, an Internet appliance or any other type of computing
device.
[0031] The processor system 700 illustrated in FIG. 7 includes a
chipset 710, which includes a memory controller 712 and an
input/output (I/O) controller 714. As is well known, a chipset
typically provides memory and I/O management functions, as well as
a plurality of general purpose and/or special purpose registers,
timers, etc. that are accessible or used by a processor 720, which
may be implemented by the processor 260 shown in FIG. 2. The
processor 720 is implemented using one or more processors.
[0032] As is conventional, the memory controller 712 performs
functions that enable the processor 720 to access and communicate
with a main memory 730 including a volatile memory 732 and a
non-volatile memory 734 via a bus 740. For example, the main memory
730 may be implemented by the memory 270 shown in FIG. 2. The
volatile memory 732 may be implemented by Synchronous Dynamic
Random Access Memory (SDRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM),
RAMBUS Dynamic Random Access Memory (RDRAM), and/or any other type
of random access memory device. The non-volatile memory 734 may be
implemented using flash memory, Read Only Memory (ROM),
Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM),
and/or any other desired type of memory device.
[0033] The processor system 700 also includes an interface circuit
750 that is coupled to the bus 740. The interface circuit 750 may
be implemented using any type of well known interface standard such
as an Ethernet interface, a universal serial bus (USB), a third
generation input/output interface (3GIO) interface, and/or any
other suitable type of interface.
[0034] One or more input devices 760 are connected to the interface
circuit 750. The input device(s) 760 permit a user to enter data
and commands into the processor 720. For example, the input
device(s) 760 may be implemented by a keyboard, a mouse, a
touch-sensitive display, a track pad, a track ball, an isopoint,
and/or a voice recognition system.
[0035] One or more output devices 770 are also connected to the
interface circuit 750. For example, the output device(s) 770 may be
implemented by display devices (e.g., a light emitting display
(LED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT)
display, a printer and/or speakers). The interface circuit 750,
thus, typically includes, among other things, a graphics driver
card.
[0036] The processor system 700 also includes one or more mass
storage devices 780 configured to store software and data. Examples
of such mass storage device(s) 780 include floppy disks and drives,
hard disk drives, compact disks and drives, and digital versatile
disks (DVD) and drives.
[0037] The interface circuit 750 also includes a communication
device such as a modem or a network interface card to facilitate
exchange of data with external computers via a network. The
communication link between the processor system 700 and the network
may be any type of network connection such as an Ethernet
connection, a digital subscriber line (DSL), a telephone line, a
cellular telephone system, a coaxial cable, etc.
[0038] Access to the input device(s) 760, the output device(s) 770,
the mass storage device(s) 780 and/or the network is typically
controlled by the I/O controller 714 in a conventional manner. In
particular, the I/O controller 714 performs functions that enable
the processor 720 to communicate with the input device(s) 760, the
output device(s) 770, the mass storage device(s) 780 and/or the
network via the bus 740 and the interface circuit 750.
[0039] While the components shown in FIG. 7 are depicted as
separate blocks within the processor system 700, the functions
performed by some of these blocks may be integrated within a single
semiconductor circuit or may be implemented using two or more
separate integrated circuits. For example, although the memory
controller 712 and the I/O controller 714 are depicted as separate
blocks within the chipset 710, persons of ordinary skill in the art
will readily appreciate that the memory controller 712 and the I/O
controller 714 may be integrated within a single semiconductor
circuit.
[0040] Machine readable instructions may be executed by the
processor system 700 (e.g., via the processor 720) illustrated in
FIG. 7 to detect an operating state of the display 210. Persons of
ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the instructions can
be implemented in any of many different ways utilizing any of many
different programming codes stored on any of many computer-readable
mediums such as a volatile or nonvolatile memory or other mass
storage device (e.g., a floppy disk, a CD, and a DVD). For example,
the machine readable instructions may be embodied in a
machine-readable medium such as a programmable gate array, an
application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an erasable
programmable read only memory (EPROM), a read only memory (ROM), a
random access memory (RAM), a magnetic media, an optical media,
and/or any other suitable type of medium.
[0041] While the methods and apparatus disclosed herein are
particularly well suited for use with a television, the teachings
of the disclosure may be applied to detect an operating state of
other types of display. For example, the methods and apparatus
disclosed herein may detect an operating state of a computer
monitor, a projector screen, and/or other media output device.
Thus, the methods and apparatus disclosed herein may collect data
associated with Internet usage and/or other display of media via a
computer.
[0042] Although certain example methods, apparatus, and articles of
manufacture have been described herein, the scope of coverage of
this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent
covers all methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture fairly
falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or
under the doctrine of equivalents.
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